A Raven's Sorrow
by Venomis
Summary: When the president of the female Morrigans MC is murdered, the club is about to lose everything she worked so hard for. To prevent this from happening, the three youngest members need to infiltrate the Sons of Anarchy to find out details about their gun business. When their task is troubling Freddie more than they'd expected, Rebel is forced to take drastic measures.
1. A Raven's Sorrow

_Oh it's the price we gotta pay  
And all the gamas we gotta play  
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on  
_ _'Cause it's a game we gotta lose  
_ _Though it's a life we gotta choose  
_ _And the price is our own life until it's done_

Twisted Sister - The Price


	2. Prologue

Vicente dropped the cigarette in front of the door and put out the glowing nub with his foot. He put the key in the ignition, turned it around and entered the house. His footsteps echoed through the hallway when he headed to the stairs.

The steps were cracking.

And not only the steps.

From above he heard the cracking of a bed, accompanied by a shrill woman's voice. The growling of a man became louder when he left the last steps.

At the landing he stood still. He pulled his Cold Combat out of his waistband, put off the safety and walked to his bedroom.

Quietly he opened the door.

They had no idea.

His wife was on top, her lover had grabbed her tits while she rode him.

Their skins were equally dark, as if they formed one body.

Vicente kept watching for a while. Except for a deep disgust and wounded pride he felt nothing. He'd gotten over the shock a long time ago, his love for her had cooled off.

With a straight face he watched how she was getting her climax. He wanted to give her that last ecstasy before he would blow up her brains. Or would he feel more satisfaction when he squeezed the life out of her?

She was done, and the man beneath her started to groan. Vicente stepped closer, and when he was only a meter away from them, the man froze, staring right past the body of his lover.

Vicente gave him a dark smile. He raised his gun and fired.

With a shock the body was thrown back on the bed.

Legacy turned around, her eyes so wide it looked ridiculous.

"Honey..." he said, shaking his head. "I thought we had something precious."

She stood up, showed herself in all her glory. There was no regret written on her face, nor fear. "I've been reckless."

To his surprise, her insensitive voice affected him. He quickly shook off the feeling, walked toward her, grabbed her throat and pushed her down on the bed. He squeezed.

She didn't writhe, she just looked at him.

Slowly he squeezed the life out of Legacy, the notorious president of the Morrigans Motorcyle club.


	3. 001 - Rebel

Rebel parked her Dyna somewhat bluntly in front of the nightclub. She put off her helmet, hang it on the handlebar and took a cigarette out of the pocket of her cut. She lit it and entered the building. First she walked to the bar and grabbed a beer from the fridge. It had been a long day, she'd deserved a drink. She dragged her cigarette and checked her phone. No messages. She put the thing away and smiled when Freddie walked right up to her. She gave her best friend a hug.

"How was your day?"

Rebel just wanted to answer when the door swung open. Williams stepped in. There was nobody else around, so he walked right to them. There was a serious glance on his face. "I have sad news about Legacy," he said, looking at Rebel. "She was found dead along the railroad."

Her face went grim. "What the fuck?!" She kicked a chair and knocked over a table. "Whoever did this, I'll kill the asshole!"

From the corners of her eyes, she noticed that Freddie rubbed away a tear and walked out of the front door. Rebel stomped another chair to pieces and stepped towards the cop. "If you don't track down that fucker, I will!" she yelled, emptying her bottle of beer and smashing it to the wall.

She would find whoever had killed Legacy. Nobody touched her family without regretting about it forever. She left the building and climbed on her bike.

Rebel rode on high speed to Vicente's office. She wanted to be the one who told him the news, so she could see his reaction herself. A while ago she'd find out that Legacy was cheating on him, maybe Vicente had discovered that as well. She'd been anything but careful.

She parked her bike at the front. After banging on the door, it was opened with a strong tug. It was Vicente's right hand. The guy immediately stepped aside when he saw her face and she barged inside.

Vicente sat on the couch. The bold Mexican looked up the minute he heard her.

"They've found Legacy. Dead," she announced, not very subtle. "Somebody dumped her body along the railway."

Shock was written all over his face. His shoulders dropped down, his eyes were brimming with tears. Despite their difficult relationship it really seemed to hit him.

"Who told you?" His voice was trembling, and a tear was sliding down his cheek.

Would those tears be reaal? He looked genuinely affected.

Behind the man Giorgio was pacing. He scratched his head, looking nervous. Would he know more? She would soon give him a good grilling.

"Williams stepped by in the nightclub," she said, trying to calm down. Her head was a mess.

The man grabbed her hands. "Who was there with you, Rebel?"

"Freddie."

She wondered why that was so important, but she kept the question to herself.

Vicente rubbed his bald head. "Inform the others."

And so did Rebel.

It was a terrible blow for everyone. What should they do now? Legacy had been an inspiration to all of them. The whole club would miss her.


	4. 002 - Freddie

A month had gone by since Legacy was murdered. It still felt strange to see Kelly at the head of the table. The President patch graced her chest and the gavel laid next to her. Freddie thought back to the day Rebel had been promoted to Sergeant of Arms. She'd never seen her friend looking so radiant. Not since they're with The Morrigans, at least. She always kept her emotions in control.

It had felt a little uneasy, that Rebel could raise a smile right after Legacy had died. Of course Freddie was happy for her, but she was having a hard time accepting that her friend would be the one who would take out other people. That aspect of the club had always bothered her. Nacho, who'd become VP now, had done that before, and Freddie had always thought that was the reason she never really connected to the woman. She was so remorseless. And now they expected that from her friend too? She wasn't even thirty years old. Imagine she would be arrested... then life long _really_ took long!

Still she tried to have faith in the decision of Kelly. The woman was one of the founders of the club, and nobody knew better what was best for them.

"Vicente gave us an assignment," Kelly begun their meeting. Her fingers glided down the grey braid that hung over her left shoulder. "He wants to expand his business, and he want us to help him."

Close to her she heard Rebel sniff. Freddie knew why. Rebel believed Vicente had murdered his own wife, she'd told her the same night their president was killed. But sharing that with the group without having proof... Rebel knew better than that. There was a lot Vicente could say, that was just the way it is. He possessed the ground on which their clubhouse was built, and he owned a large part of their night club and casino. They were relying on him.

"What does he want us to do?" Nacho asked. The Mexican woman leaned back in her chair and tilted her shaved head a little.

"He wants to participate the gun business."

Freddie suppressed a sigh. Vicente was running a cartel and possessed half of the city. Was he ever satisfied? She didn't want to get involved with illegal matters, she'd been glad they weren't into that type of shit.

"Gun business?" Rebel repeated, flippant. "Sure. How does he picture that?"

"The Sons of Anarchy distribute weapons. Vincente wants us to find out between who they're mediatin', where the guns are comin' from and where they're goin' to."

Freddie studied the face of the elder woman. She could feel where this was going to and she didn't like it at all.

"So we take one of them apart and beat the shit outta him?" Rebel asked. Her voice made clear she was already looking forward to it.

"No, this calls for a more subtle approach." Kelly folded her hands and bowed forward. "He wants three of you to go undercover, to hook up with the men and give him information when he asks for it."

 _Three of you..._ Freddie bowed her head, hoping she would be overlooked. The last thing she wanted, was going back to Charming and get close to the Sons.

"The three youngest will go," Kelly continued. "You can easily pretend to be sweetbutts."

Freddie sighed deeply.

Great. This was just great. She had to act as if she was a dumb groupie.

She wanted to object, but she knew there was no point in it. Club matters were more important than her personal issues with SAMCRO. His eyes shot to Rebel, who didn't look happy either.

"How long are we supposed to do that?" Echo asked.

From the corners of her eyes Freddie watched her half-sister. It wasn't easy for her either, she wasn't particularly fond of the male gender. And those men from SAMCRO... they weren't very respectful when it came down to women. The few guys Freddie had dated in her life, had been very different types.

Her thoughts shot to Harry. She hadn't seen him in ten years. Back then he'd already hung around the SAMCRO club house, and she couldn't imagine he'd ever left. Even though ten years was a long time. Who knows what'd happened in the meantime? Maybe he was long married, did he have a family. She felt a her stomach twist. She didn't want to face him, let alone hooking up with one of his friends. But did she have a choice?

No, she didn't.

This was the road the club had taken. Whether she liked it or not.


	5. 003 - Rebel

Rebel'd started to pack her stuff. It was harder than she'd expected. She had to grab all her things and move to another town. Furthermore she was graduated to SAA, giving her more responsibilities than she'd ever had.

She wondered how her old man would react. He was a member of SAMCRO for as long as she could remember, and now she had to infiltrate his club. How would he receive her? She knew there were some hard feelings because of her strong ties with Kozik. Hopefully that wouldn't raise any trouble. Even though trouble was inevitable anyway, since she had to betray him.

She was really pissed at Vicente for what he was doing to them. At the beginning he'd been friendly, but that clearly was nothing but an act. Just like his grieve for Legacy. She almost knew for sure he was the one who'd killed her. She would figure it all out one day.

She lifted a box filled with old junk on her bed and encountered a pile of pictures. Most were of her and Freddie, making funny faces. The corners of her mouth curled up. They'd spent way more time having fun than doing their homework at high school. Her eye caught another picture between some pieces of clothes, and she took it away to have a closer look. It was a photograph of David and her. It was a long time ago she'd thought about him, but now she saw their happy smiles, she realized she missed him. Maybe she would run into him when she was back in Charming.

She pulled her travel bag out of the closet and put her favorite clothes in it. If she'd run out of them, she would buy something new. She saw no point in carrying too much stuff. Rebel added some pictures to her clothes and left her apartment. She put a cigarette between her lips and rode to the club house.

A few other members were already waiting in front of the row of bikes. She parked hers next to Kelly's and got off the vehicle. A little reluctant she gave her new president a hug. "Thanks for this great job," she said sarcastically. "Can't wait to get home."

Kelly grabbed her arm before she could walk away. "I have complete faith in you. Take care of yourself."

"Yea, right."

"Be careful," Nacho said. "You know better than anyone how ugly it often gets in Charming."

Rebel mustered up a smile. "Exactly. We'll be fine."

For some reason it was hard to return to Charming. There would be lots of childhood memories, and that won't do her any good. She already got lots of anger issues lately, and she hoped they wouldn't be in her way.

"You're alright?" Freddie gave her a worried look. "I know this sucks, but the sooner we take care of this, the sooner we can head back home."

Rebel shrugged and murmured something inaudible before she started the engine and signaled she was about to leave. She'd seen enough of their sad faces. They only created more bad vibes. She thought about Vicente again, and murder was already on her mind. She couldn't believe he was really pulling a trick like this, only a month after Legacy's murder. If she found proof he was really the one who'd strangled her, she would take care of him herself and framing his retarded busboy for the murder.


	6. 004 - Opie

Opie fastened the last bolt and rolled away from beneath the car. With a grunt he stood up and stretched his stiff back. He'd done enough for today. This one wouldn't be picked up before tomorrow anyway. He washed his hands – more out of habit than really trying to get rid of the grease – and walked to the clubhouse. There he knocked on the bar. Chucky immediately dove into the fridge, and a second later he handed him a beer. Great. He'd deserved one. He sat down with his brothers and enjoyed the cold drink.

"Look a' that." Chibs whistled. "New admirers? Haven't seen those pretty faces before."

Opie turned to the entrance. His fingers cramped around the beer bottle when he saw her. "Holy fuck," he stammered.

"You think they're that hot?" Chibs chuckled. He patted Opie's shoulder. "Don't let ye ol' lady hear that."

Their eyes locked. For a moment she seemed to freeze, as if she hadn't expected him to be here. It felt like the blood was drained from his head. More than ten years had passed by since the last time he'd seen her, but that didn't mean he hadn't thought about her. His glance flashed through the room, looking for Jax, but he wasn't around. He was the only one who knew about their past. Quickly he turned away his face. _Maybe she won't recognize me._

Juice lifted his eyebrows. "Ex of yours?"

"Somethin' like that," he murmured.

He smirked. "Good taste. Whoever it is."

"Ye cheat on 'er? Left looks like she wants to drink our blood."

No, that wasn't her. She looked just as innocent as before.

Chibs laughed and stood up. "Aye, darlin's," he started.

Opie felt the need to flee from the clubhouse. Not that he would really do that, he wasn't a coward. He just felt like he was the seventeen year old madly in love loser again, who'd bought a way to large bouquet of roses for a girl he was only a month together with, and who'd told him thereafter with a soft tone she didn't want to be with him anymore.

From the corners of his eyes he looked aside. Juice and Bobby had stood up as well to greet the girls, but he had not the slightest idea what to say to her. So he kept sitting in his spot, and with a sulky face he lit a smoke.

Opie remembered very well why she'd knocked his socks off. She still had that sweet, beautiful face with a timid smile and expressive, light blue eyes. Her blond hair hung a little to the right, as if she'd just raked her hand through it. And her figure... he noticed she was just as slim, and her boobs were just as ample as the last time they'd been in his hands.

He took a sip of his beer, and almost spilled on his clothes when she suddenly looked at him. Frederique smiled a little insecure and he turned his head away.

This was bullshit. It had been ten years ago, he should laugh about this. But she'd really hurt him back then, and now he realized he'd never gotten over it. Not _really._ The fact that he was married for five years and had two children, didn't change a thing about that.

The sound of her heels gave away she was coming closer. Her sweet scent reached his nose, and for a moment they were back on the beach, she on top of him, chuckling, her lips wandering across his neck. Quickly he blinked away the image, so that it wasn't her almost naked body that sat down next to him now.

"Hey," she said. "Wow, it's been a while."

Opie forced himself to look up. He couldn't get a single word out of his throat, so he just nodded and drank from his beer in silence.


	7. 005 - Rebel

Rebel took a sip of her second beer and almost choked when Tara entered the clubhouse. Rebel clenched her hands to fists and had to restrain herself from beating her up. She quickly pressed a smoke between her lips and walked outside. When her eye caught Jax, who was smoking as well, she sighed. _Sure. Why not?_

He looked over his shoulder when he heard her sigh. "Long day?"

"Got that right," she muttered, taking a hit and inhaling the smoke. She drank him in and noticed he hadn't changed much. Same clothes, same don't-give-a-fuck-about-anythin' attitude.

It was her job to deceive Jax, but she first needed to resist the longing to smash the place up. That wouldn't be very charming.

"'n' you?" she asked, only a little interested. "How was your day?"

Jax breathed out a cloud of smoke. "Nothin' special," he said. He stared into her eyes and smiled. "We went to the same school, right?"

Rebel pressed her lips together. "Could be." What a fucker. No way he wouldn't remember her. She'd been best friends with Tara, until that slut had wrapped him around her own finger. Rebel threw away her smoke and just wanted to go back to the clubhouse when someone suddenly threw his arms around her neck and pulled her close.

"Hey doll!" Tig yelled elated. "What a pleasant surprise." He grinned, showing his teeth. He was clearly happy to see her. His blue eyes lit up and his mouth was surrounded by little wrinkles.

Rebel smiled and studied his face. He looked older. Hopefully he'd became wiser too. "Hey daddy."

"What ya doing here?" he asked, curiously. She visited him now and then, but since high school she'd never came to the clubhouse. "Keepin' an eye on your old man?" He chuckled and swung an arm around her.

"Guess so," she smirked. "Believe it or not, but I started to miss Charming."

Tig smiled and pulled her close again. "I'm happy my little girl returned home. You wanna have dinner at my place tonight?"

Rebel nodded. "What time?"

"Seven?" he suggested, kissing her cheek. "Have to handle some things now. See ya later, baby." He patted her shoulder and walked to his motorcycle.

Rebel glanced at the clubhouse. She wanted to get another drink, but she was afraid she couldn't keep her head straight when she saw Tara again. She would love to blacken her eyes - or more. The thoughts alone were enough to make her grin.

"What's so funny?" she heard Jax ask.

She turned her head, looking right into the man's blue eyes. She stared back. "Nothin' special."

She remembered very well why she'd fallen in love with him. She hadn't met many men who were so self-confident, and she could easily drown into that blue eyes. Not that she would ever admit that...

She hoped he would consider her as a challenge. Since he was still with Tara, it shouldn't be that difficult. She was sure he had one night stands now and then. He was anything but faithful.

When she tilted her head, he smiled and brought his face closer. "Maybe we could discuss our high school experience next time?" he whispered in her ear. "Or... redo some things?"

After these words she realized he _did_ remember some things. He was just smart, playing canny.

"Is that somethin' ya need?" she asked, provokingly staring into his eyes. She took the bottle of beer out of his hand, drank from it and licked her lips.

Their lips were separated four inches at most, and she saw him swallow. Secretly she enjoyed this. Maybe she would talk herself into his bed and divide Tara and him. She had no doubt she would succeed.

He smirked and put a strand of hair behind her ear. "When you look at me that way, I wanna do more than only reliving our high school memories."


	8. 006 - Freddie

Freddie already regretted going to him. But she had to go through it someday. She wanted to get over it. She looked around. "Not much has changed here."

Harry stared at her. When their eyes met again, he raised his eyebrows. "What ya doin' here?"

His blunt words made her shrink a little. He was still mad. After all these years.

"Alexis wanted to visit her old man and insisted that I came with her, together with Ashley."

Again Harry raised his eyebrows. "'s that Ashley? Man, hadn't recognized her."

Freddie felt relieved she hadn't blew the whistle. It was a long time ago she'd used Alexis and Ashley's birth names, instead of their club names. She looked over her shoulder. Echo was well on the way. She leaned with her arm at the bar while talking to the latin guy. The way he was leaning toward her, showed Freddie there was at least a connection.

Since Echo was the hacker of their club, it was obvious she would go after that of SAMCRO. Rebel had set her sights on her high school flame, who would be very well informed since he was the VP of the Sons.

Not much was left for Freddie. She refused to hook up with someone who could be her dad or brother, so save from the hacker only a prospect had remained an option. Not somebody from the hard core, but that might make it easier to extract intel from him.

She focused again on the person she was having a conservation with – insofar there was a conservation. "So, how are you, Harry?"

"Opie," he answered grumpy. "Nobody calls me Harry anymore."

"Opie, then." She gave him an apologetic smile.

She saw his eyes stray to her lips and felt her stomach turn. More than once she'd wondered how things had worked out between them if she'd had the balls to share her doubts with him. Would they still have been together? Although he always did have a broad posture, he seemed even taller and more indestructible than she remembered. His beard and long hair gave him a rough look, he really had became a man.

"I'm fine." He took a sip of his beer and put the bottle at the table. Around almost every finger he wore a ring, and none of them looked like a real wedding ring. Although that wasn't saying much.

Silence fell again. It was clear he didn't want to talk to her, and he obviously didn't care what her life looked like. Without saying a single word he walked to the bar, got a new beer and kept standing there.

Freddie sighed deeply.

Well, that was a good start. What now? She wished there was a place she could fall back to, but she was a guest here and the apartment she'd hired on Vicente's expenses, wasn't very close.

Her eyes flashed to her sister. She was still talking to her target, and she felt a sting of jealousy. He was a handsome guy, and his smile looked sincerely. His company could hardly be unpleasant. She hoped her own subject would soon enter the clubhouse too, so that she'd have something to do.

Before they went to this place, she had seen a picture of the prospect. He'd do. Not a type she would fall for herself, but he wasn't ugly. He however was five years younger than she, so she hoped he was also interested in woman who were a little more mature than students.

A door in the side wall opened. For a moment she forgot to breath. Even worse than facing Harry Winston, was facing the one who stepped right into the room now.

The eyes of the woman wandered through the room, and of all people who were around, they rested on her.

Freddie cursed internally. She could only hope Gemma Teller wouldn't recognize her.


	9. 007 - Freddie

The piercing glance with which the SAMCRO-queen was looking at her, told Freddie enough.

 _I'm screwed._

She took a deep breath to gather strength when the woman strode fiercely to her. With her hands on her hips Gemma kept standing in front of her.

"What the hell you think you're doin' here?"

"Hello to you too," Freddie muttered. She resisted the urge to wring her hands when she noticed everybody was looking at them. She didn't want to show how cornered she felt. Why did she have to make such a scene of it?

"I think you mean goodbye." Gemma widened her eyes and nodded to the door.

Freddie moved her weight from her left leg to her right. A little hopeful her eyes shot to the bar. Echo quickly bend her head. The latin guy next to her watched them with curiosity and Opie, who sat a meter away from them, raised his eyebrows when their eyes met. He wouldn't help her. She wished Rebel was still inside, but she'd left the building a while ago.

"Alexis wanted me to join her visiting her father. That's all," she answered softly.

"Don't care. Get outta here." She waved her hand as if she was talking to a dog.

Freddie felt a drop of sweat gliding down her neck. How could she ever carry out her mission when she wasn't permitted around the clubhouse?

"You can wait at that whore of a mother of yours 'till Alexis and Tig are done talkin'."

Freddie's shoulders dropped. "My mom is dead. For two years."

Gemma raised her eyebrows. "'m not surprised. HIV?"

"Overdose," she muttered.

"And now you hope to find your old man here? Olinde let her cunt fill on every street corner. Not only here."

Freddie clenched her jaws. Really nice to state that so loud and crude. Her eyes shot back to Echo. Since she'd lived half of her life with her father, she was safe from Gemma's humiliation. Echo however paid no attention to her. She stood up, grabbed the hacker's hand and pulled him along to the pool table, a smile on her face.

She was right, of course. The less people knew about their connection, the better. She squared her shoulders and gave Gemma an understanding nod. The message was clear. If she stayed here any longer, all she would get was a punch in the face.

While rushing to the exit, she felt the tears itch in her eyes. Quickly she blinked them away. When she stepped through the door, she saw Rebel and Jax talking. She'd better not disturb them. She turned left, walked along until she was out of sight and lowered herself to the ground, with her back against the wall of the garage.

This was just great.

And now?

She wasn't sitting there long when she heard footsteps. In a reflex she pushed her back against the wall, as if she could disappear into it. But there was nowhere she could go. She heaved a prayer that whoever was coming would go the other way. That hope was dashed when someone stepped into her line of sight. His glance rested upon her face immediately.

"Here ye are." The Scot squatted in front of her. Chibs, she remember. "Y'alright, lass?"

Freddie suppressed a sigh. She hadn't really made up her mind about the role she wanted to play. A woman with balls would probably turn out the best. Nobody liked crybabies.

"Bet Gemma will have you excommunicated for talking to me."

A grin appeared on his scarred face. "Know how to handle the queen." He sat down next to her and took a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. "Ye smoke?"

Freddie shook her head. She was the only member of The Morrigans who wasn't smoking. She wanted to keep every form of addiction as far away as possible. Only then she was sure she wouldn't make the same mistakes as her mother had done.

"Good girl." He smirked and lit up his smoke. "What was all the fuss 'bout?"

Freddie stared at the fence on the other side of the parking lot. She'd wanted to keep her identity secret, but thanks to Gemma it was going to come out anyway.

"Gemma always hated my ma." She peeked aside. Would the name Olinde mean anything to him? Or was she just a nameless slut, an ordinary Croweater?

 _Just like me, thanks to this stupid assignment?_

"Now she's dead, she aims her frustration on me, I guess."

"Sorry, darling." He patted her knee.

She wondered what was going on in his head. Probably not that he could be her father. At least he wasn't digging deeper, he just sat there smoking.

"You know Opie?" he asked after a while.

"Yea. We went to the same school, as did Jax. Ten years ago I hung around her here for a few months. Gemma didn't like me back then either."

"Ain't an easy mind to change." He gave her a wink. "But she might give ye a chance."

Freddie didn't know how to answer. She knew perfectly well he was trying to find out if she planned on staying around longer. More than anything she wanted to sniff mockingly, but the truth was that she was bound to this place.

"Maybe," she sighed eventually. She leaned with her head against the wall and looked up to the sky. She was barely an hour here and she already missed her own clubhouse and all the other places that were familiair to her. It had taken a long time before she'd found a place she dared to call home, and it would take a long time before she could return to it. She wouldn't get used to this life easily, she was sure of it.

Rebel had her father and Echo was a smooth talker.

She had nothing, save for the arch enemy of her mother and her ex-boyfriend who both couldn't wait to see her leave.


	10. 008 - Rebel

Rebel knocked on the door. Tig opened it almost immediately and hugged her tightly. She secretly enjoyed it, it had been a long time ago they'd spend time together.

"How are you, my doll?" he asked, brushing her cheek. "You're looking good."

She followed him inside and smiled, while watching the pictures hanging on the wall. Some had a yellow glint. It was a long time ago these pictures had been made and Tig's smoking didn't contribute to the quality of the paper.

She stared at a picture in which she was a little girl, sitting on Tig's knee. They both stuck out their tongues. She looked happy there. As did he.

Tig handed her a smalle bottle. "Beer?"

"Thanks," she muttered, taking a sip and turning back to the witnesses of her past.

Tig swung his arm around her shoulders. "You were still a little bird there," he chuckled. "And already bold." His loud laughter filled the air and he gestured her to sit down on the couch. He must sense that she felt a little awkward about tripping down the memory lane.

She sat down at the same worn brown couch that stood there as long as she could remember. She took another drink from the beer and put a cigarette between her lips. "How's Kozik?" she asked. She needed to know if he was still angry, or that both gentlemen were back in touch. It would definitely ease her current situation if her father no longer wanted to kill him.

A loud beep sounded from the kitchen. Her dad's face showed his relief and he quickly went to the kitchen. After a minute he returned with two plates of food.

"Potato dish," he muttered.

"You don't need to avoid my question. We're both adults now." Her voice sounded annoyed, she couldn't help it. "How's Kozik?"

He gave her an irritated look. "Dunno. Barely see him."

Rebel looked at her plate and pricked her fork into a potato. "How often is barely?"

"Once in a year?" he grunted, gorging his mouth with food. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"What the hell, dad," she hissed. "You can't stay mad at him forever because of that stupid dog!"

"That dog meant the world to me," he yelled, smashing his fist on the table. The plates almost bounced off the wooden furniture. It was obvious from who Rebel had inherited her temper.

Tig stood up and stamped to the balcony, slamming the door behind him and lighting up a smoke.

After a few minutes Rebel went after him and rested with her head against his shoulder. "You can't stay angry forever, daddy." She noticed her voice was shaking. It was her fault that dog had died, not Kozik's. She felt guilty as hell towards Kozik, but she was afraid her father wanted to see her no longer if he knew the truth. He would at least never be able to look at her in the same way and she was willing to avoid that at all costs.

She heard her father sigh deeply. "Maybe you're right," he said eventually. He looked at her, before he pulled her in his arms. "My little girl is wiser than I'll ever be."

She smiled ironically. If he only knew that she was the SAA of a motorclub, send to infiltrate his club. Her arms tickled.

"Let's go inside," he said when noticing her goose bumps. "You're cold."


	11. 009 - Freddie

It was already dark. Freddie had filled the fridge and ran errands. The apartment Vicente had arranged for them was fine. There was more space than in her own house, although she needed to share it with her sister now. In the first place she'd thought it would be fun to share the place with her sister, since she didn't like to be alone and she usually spend more time in the clubhouse than in the house she'd bought two years ago. The silence surrounding her now however stressed how hard she was failing. Echo clearly had fun with the Sons and Rebel was invited to have dinner with her father. Even if things didn't go as planned with Jax, Tig still tied her to the club.

How could she improve her own position? Did she have to search for the prospect in other place? She was afraid that would be too obvious, and Gemma wasn't dumb. Just walking in however would neither help, that witch would just send her away again.

With a sigh she leaned back in the couch, her bare feet balancing on the edge of the coffee table. She felt useless. She'd always felt that way when it concerned club matters. She was easy to replace, she had no qualities that made her special. Rebel was tough and decisive, she was even promoted as SAA. She had to make decisions when the President and VP were not around, keeping a cool head was one of her talents. Even her three years younger sister had proven to be useful: even before they'd set a foot inside Charming. She had not only looked into all SAMCRO-members, she'd also hacked her way into some well protected websites and changed relevant information about them. When their intelligence officer would look into them, he wouldn't find out they possessed houses outside of Charming, nor that they'd moved into this town recently and had ties with Morrigan MC. They would stick to the story that Echo had always lived here, and that Freddie had moved in with her sister now her relationship was over. Echo had covered up everything that contradicted their story.

But she? What had she to offer? She'd ran errands, cleaned a clean house even more and cooked spaghetti, which she'd eaten on the couch while watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

It was a stirring start of her assignment.

* * *

At elf o'clock the screen of her phone lit up.

 _He fucks fine. For a man. ;),_ she read. _Staying here tonight. X_

With a sigh Freddie threw the device next to her on the couch. She'd been waiting all these time for nothing! It hurt that her sister just left here alone in the house after she'd been sent away so brutally. Nobody would mind if she _wouldn't_ sleep with him the first day...

And why hadn't she heard anything from Rebel? She enjoyed being with her dad so much? She wondered if she would ever be invited at her father's house. Not that they had memories to share... Her mother had meant nothing to him, so why would he care about his daughter? There was even a chance he was long gone – gang members usually didn't live very long – or even worse: what if Gemma was right? What if her mother hadn't just slept with the Sons, but with many others? How could she ever discover who her father was?

 _You're not here to find your father,_ she reminded herself. _You're here to infiltrate SAMCRO. You have to get close to that prospect._

How could she do that without giving Gemma the chance to send her away? She had to use Echo or Rebel. Although Echo probably hadn't a say in it much more than Freddie did. The only thing she had an easier way into, was into the pants of that Latin guy and she couldn't imagine how that would help. Rebel should give her a hand, no matter how badly she wanted to get something going herself for once.

Suddenly there was a flash of inspiration. It was Rebel's birthday next week. Freddie could organize a surprise party for her, somewhere away from the club house where the members were invited to. Gemma would have no say in it and Freddie could finally invest in a relationships with a Son. Or...

An optimistic smile appeared on her face.

Maybe she could already do that when doing the preparations. With a little luck she could convince Kozik to help her organize. Even though they hadn't involved him in their plan because he wasn't a member of the Charming charter, he could proof to be the most helpful in her current situation. And she knew for sure Rebel would find his presence a great birthday gift.


	12. 010 - Echo

Echo looked at the orange light of the laptop, that indicated the device was in the standby mode. Her fingers were itching to open the laptop and pry into the files. It was hard to estimate how many times she would return to this place. She was in Charming for four days now. She'd slept only one night "at home", and she knew another girl had taken her place effortlessly. It was anything but difficult to get into that guy's bed, but making sure she would become more to him than just a sex toy he could get bored of any moment, was a whole different story.

Even though he was quite nice and had a great body, she wasn't really interested in him and she didn't know how to create the impression she was. They usually played a few games of pool at the end of the evening, where after he took her to his room. They barely talked. On the one hand that was an advantage: she couldn't slip up. On the other hand it made it quite hard to get intel from him.

And she felt a certain pressure. Her sister hadn't even met the prospect yet and even though Rebel usually knew what she was doing, Echo wondered if she wasn't overestimating her charm. The VP wasn't an idiot, and he had a girlfriend. She suspected it could take years before he would share club matters with his lover and they hadn't that much time.

Thus Echo was the biggest contender if she could get access to Juice's laptop. Unfortunately he wasn't called a hacker for nothing, she assumed his files were well protected. Maybe she should hang up a little camera to figure out his password.

Or get him drunk, and adding a few pills.

She however found that a little risky, she could only guess how many he would remember the next day. With a sigh she turned on her side. She was exhausted. She'd only slept well one night, when she was in her apartment. Juice's arm felt like a dead weight around her and he snored so loud she almost got a heart attack every time she did drowse. And when she poked his side, hoping he would roll over so that he was no longer roaring in her ear, he woke up and mistook her annoyance for a horny look. Then he kissed her in a rush, and slid into her before she could blink an eye, as if that could compensate for the noise he was making. Sure, he knew what he was doing and he got her wet easily, but it didn't contribute to her sleeping.

Maybe she should go looking for sleeping pills tomorrow. She hadn't much of a choice after all. Kelly had been very clear: the hacker was her way into the club. And, truth to be told, the other men were even worse. Those were old and had beards and no, ew, they were just disgusting.

. . .

The next morning a thumb rubbed her nipple. Drowsy Echo crawled closer to the other, for a moment convinced that it was a hot chick she was sharing the bed with, until she felt a stubbly cheek against hers.

Nope, no hot chick. It's just Juice.

She suppressed a sigh and looked up to him. His fingertips glided down the tattoo above her heart, and then along the one beneath her breasts. He enjoyed to trace the lines of her ink, and Echo's skin was covered with so many of them she could keep him busy all morning.

"Hey," he said with a sleepy smile.

Echo hovered over him and quickly pecked his lips. Past her he glanced at the alarm clock, as if he wanted to assess if there was enough time left to do a quickie.

Echo pretended she hadn't noticed, slid out of bed and started to dress herself. She looked forward to go home, so that she could have a good sleep. She would return tonight.

After she'd put on her clothes she slipped into the bathroom and washed her face. She was craving for a hot shower, but preferable on her own, and she doubted he would let her.

"That friend of yours... you take her with you tonight?" he asked.

She looked through the doorway and saw him struggle with his jeans.

"To the clubhouse or to your room?" she asked, bowing towards the mirror to put on some make-up.

In the reflection of the mirror she watched him walk to the doorway. With one shoulder he leaned against the door frame. A smug grin was drawn on his face. It was clear he didn't have anything against a threesome. Had he been bored last night? Why was he asking for one of her friends after four nights?

"Both?"

"It depends on which one you want."

She would get on board with a threesome including Rebel. She knew the SAA welcomed the female gender, even though she seemed to have a preference for man – unlike Echo herself. In fact, Echo wanted a little adventure between the sheets with her for quite some time, but getting sweaty with other club members was forbidden and despite Rebel's nickname, she took the club rules very seriously, as they all did. But now they were pretending to be sweetbutts, everything was permitted, she thought.

"The light blonde. Don't want anything in my bed that's related to Tig." He pulled a face.

Echo chuckled softly. It was quite strange to discuss this so openly. She could imagine some Croweaters couldn't wait to bury their nails into the face of their competitors after hearing words like this, but Echo didn't feel the slightest urge to do so.

"Well, that's not gonna happen, dude." She was open to a lot and she was willing to give a lot for her club, but there was no way she was going to sleep with her half sister. "Freddie is a little prissy," she explained, which neither was a lie. She wanted to keep her family ties secret for a little longer, especially since that was the reason Freddie wasn't welcome in the clubhouse. "But feel free to add another lady. I'm all for."

She rolled her eyes when his face showed that he'd already been looking forward to a steamy night with Freddie. He was one of those guys who wanted to set his sights on someone that was hard to get.

"Freddie has a clubhouse ban anyway," she added, shrugging. She put her eyeliner and mascara in her purse. "So maybe you should reconsider Reb – Alexis." She quickly swallowed Rebel's name, but Juice wasn't even listening.

He was probably already imagining the things he wanted to do with Freddie.

By all means, just keep fantasizing, she thought, while she gave him a wink and a kiss, where after she left the room. Fantasies are all it's gonna be.


	13. 011 - Freddie

Freddie stared at the white ceiling above her head while she was softly singing along with Shinedown. The songs were just as gloomy as she was feeling. It had to be almost midday. When was the last time she'd been lying in bed around this time? At home she always got up early. She filled her days with fixing motorcycles, club matters and working in the cafeteria that belonged to the casino. She had no job in the area she'd graduated in, but she was glad she had things to do. If not, she quickly suffered from a bad mood like she was doing now. Then the house felt empty, so that she missed her mother and the presence of a partner in her life. Her last serious relationship was six years ago and the loneliness was sometimes pushing her down. It was a void the club had never been able to fill up. They were a family to her, but she also needed a partner, someone who was waiting for her at the end of the day and in whose arms she could crawl if she felt like this. A person she could always vent to, even when it concerned club matters she found hard to share with Rebel or Echo. She was twenty-eight now. It wasn't strange she was longing for some commitment, right?

And now she was lying here, in a room in Charming, waiting until she could make herself useful. Rebel had sent her a message there was a club dinner tomorrow, to which Rebel would drag her despite Gemma's protests. She would finally get the chance to carry out her duty. She had to make a lasting impression on that prospect. Hopefully he didn't value Gemma's opinion much, but since he wasn't fully patched yet that was an insignificant chance.

She stroked her fingers through her hair and clenched her fists. This was all so frustrating! She just wanted to go home, away from all these people who didn't care about her. She felt so restless, so lethargic... in this way she wouldn't be able to accomplish anything! A few days ago she'd wanted to visit Kozik, to organize Rebel's surprise party. She'd already left the house when she realized she had no idea where he was living. Of course she could have asked Echo to look it up, but she'd been afraid that would have raised questions. And so she'd shoved that idea in the fridge too.

Even though the door was still open a little bit. Maybe she could ask Chibs tomorrow. At least he'd been friendly to her.

She sat up straight when she heard the front door open. Finally, Echo showed her face once again! She felt a little more energetic immediately, jumped off the bed and walked to the living room. Echo had just put her purse on the table and looked at her.

"Holy shit, look at you!" she noted when she saw Echo's worn out face.

"Man, that guy can snore! Unbelievable," Echo grumbled. "The rest of the day I will have a good sleep."

"Why don't you buy some earplugs?"

Echo shrugged her shoulders. "That ain't sexy."

Freddie raised her eyebrows. "And that zombie head of yours is?"

Echo sniffed. "Look at your own mopey head. If you still want to wrap that little prospect around your finger, you need to bring a very big smile on your face."

With a deep sigh Freddie agreed with her sister. She hoisted herself on the countertop while watching how Echo took yoghurt from the fridge and poured it into a bowl.

"Any progress?"

Echo shove back a chair and sat down on it. "No," she sighed. "And I don't know how to keep his attention. He was already asking for you."

Freddie's eyes widened. "He asked for me?"

Her half sister stirred the yoghurt. "Uh-uh."

Freddie felt her cheeks glow. Of course that made no sense, but it just did something to her there was at least one person in Charming who wanted to see her. Even if it was only to have sex with. Not something she would give in to, one night stands was not like her. She'd seen how that had affected her mother, and she rather had no sex for months than that she would feel just as cheap as her.

Echo raised her eyebrows. "Are you blushing?"

"No," she said quickly. "It's just warm."

"Sure." Echo chuckled. "I told him you are to prissy to do a threesome. But maybe he'll be satisfied with you alone. Would love one night of good sleep."

She didn't like the idea that Echo had talked about her. Not that this would make any difference, the instructions had been clear. Echo had to focus on the hacker, and she on the prospect.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she muttered. "I hope to finally meet that Half-Sack tomorrow. I feel so useless."

"Save for a few good orgasms I haven't achieved much either, though."

Freddie pulled a face. She hated the idea of using their bodies to get things done, even though Rebel and Echo didn't seem to have a problem with it. Probably because the first wanted Jax in her bed since the moment they first met, and the second found every day without sex a wasted day. But she... she found it quite awkward and she rather didn't think about the moment she had to undress herself in front of a man for the sake of a _club assignment._

"Maybe you should spend some time with him tomorrow."

Echo's voice dragged her out of her thoughts and it took her some time to address the remark. "With Juice?"

"Uh-uh. At least he noticed you. Just talk with him. You need to spread your chances. The more people like you, the less difficult that Gemma's gonna be."

"With that woman it just works the other way around," Freddie sighed.

"You have no choice. You have to get into that club, sis. And if Juice keeps getting a hard one from you, we should switch. There's not a chance in hell he'll get my cheeks red." She smirked ornery. "You on the other hand... Ifthe thought of him alone is enough to get your head read, you two will have lots of fun. I think he finds ya really cute."

Freddie looked the other way. "We can't just switch."

Echo shrugged. "We can if this ain't working. But maybe you'll be lucky tomorrow, with the prospect. I bet he won't be as excessively satisfied with his own sex skills as Juicy. The fact he calls himself that way is actually making me sick. I think the prospect is a better match for you, sis. If that guy's already getting bored with _me_..." She smirked, stood up and put the bowl into the sink.

Freddie didn't answer, although she didn't like those last words. Was she really boring because she wasn't as experimental as the other two? Would that be in the way of carrying out her task well? Why had Kelly given her this task? She must have known she was the last one who was talented in playing with other people's minds!


	14. 012 - Freddie

Freddie had put on her make-up and got it off twice already. That was more a result of her nervousness than of her discontent. What look should she go for? First she'd wanted to wear smokey eyes, but the result was a little too dark and she was looking like a sweetbutt. Despite the fact that she was _intended_ to look like one, she doubted it was a good idea. There were dozens of them at the clubhouse. Shouldn't she find a way to stand out? Also, she was afraid Opie would figure out she was pretending to be someone else. Two of her finger nails had already suffered from her nervousness. A few more minutes and everybody would notice her nerves. She had to get grip on herself – and soon. She couldn't do better than her best, right?

In the past that had been her motto. Then she hadn't worried about things so easily. However, this time the consequences would be devastating. If they couldn't keep Vicente satisfied, their club possessions would meet the wrecking ball. Then they would lose everything. Or even worse: he could expose them. If the Sons found out they were rats, they wouldn't think twice about killing them. There was a little chance Tig would try to protect his daughter. But Echo and she? They were a dead man. And even though she had a gun and knew how to use it, she couldn't see herself and Echo kill an entire motor gang and getting away with it.

She took a few deep breaths when it felt like the oxygen level in the bathroom was desperately sinking. _Breathe in, breathe out,_ she instructed herself while she felt a panic attack rise. _No need for thoughts like these. By the time the Sons find out who you really are, you're long gone._

She looked at her pale knuckles, which had become white because she was pinching the edge of the washbasin so heavily. She shouldn't look that far ahead. All she needed to do tonight was attracting the prospect's attention and figuring out Kozik's address. All those nightmare scenarios... those wouldn't become a reality within the next month either way.

"You can do it," she whispered to her reflection. "Just be yourself. Tonight all you have to do is talk to that guy, getting to know him a little. The less easy he'll get you in his bed, the harder he'll try."

Freddie didn't know if that was really true, but it eased the pain in her stomach a little.

She took another deep breath and waited until her fingers were no longer trembling. Then she picked up the eyeliner again. This time she made just a thin, black line.

Examining her reflection she ran her hands across the dark blue evening dress that was actually too sexy for a dinner. Echo however had insisted she would wear it.

"It ain't a fancy restaurant we're going to," she'd said with a smirk. "Give those guys a clue of what they will miss when they let Gemma send you away."

Her answer that she would have more of a chance to get inside while wearing a turtleneck and a long pants, had Echo dismissed immediately.

"That's makin' no one wild, sis. They need easy access to everythin', if ya know what I mean."

A wink had followed.

Freddie couldn't laugh about it. In fact, it made her feel sick. She didn't want to think about the things Echo was suggesting and she couldn't imagine her sister was spending so many evenings in the company of people who were apparently treating her that way.

Again a shiver crept down her spine. She pulled down the fabric of her dress a little more before she walked to the living room and waited until Echo was ready too, so they could go to Rebel together.


	15. 013 - Rebel

With her two friends Rebel walked up the parking lot in front of the club house. She hooked her arm around Freddie's as she noticed her friend started to walk slower. She knew why, even though she doubted she would have behaved the same way if she had been in Freddie's shoes.

Her eye caught Jax and Opie who were having a smoke at the picknick table. The first showed her a crooked smile, while he watched her from top to toe. A warm feeling arose in her chest and it even took her some effort to not wiggle on her high heels. A smile alone however wasn't enough to bring her out of balance. Still, his words crossed her mind again.

 _"When you look at me that way, I wanna do more than only reliving our high school memories."_

Freddie nudged her side with her elbow, dragging her out of her thoughts. With an angry look she lifted her feet; apparently Rebel had stepped on her toe.

"Sorry," she whispered with a smirk. "I still have to get used to all those hot men around us."

She glanced at Opie, who was staring at Freddie. He seemed to find this the perfect moment to check her out. She even thought to see his Adam's apple go up and down. Quickly he moved his beer to his lips and took a sip.

Gosh, this had to be so hard for him. Rebel smirked, but her smirk faded as Gemma stopped her from entering the clubhouse.

"Alexis sweetheart, come in," Gemma said sweetly, kissing her cheek. "But please leave the garbage outside."

Rebel sighed. "Come on. I have gone through a really tough period and they have been the only ones pulling me through it. I would really appreciate it if you would let them in."

"My only concern is that over there," she sniffed, nodding to Freddie as if she was a stray dog begging for food. "She's not comin' in."

As Freddie looked down, Rebel squeezed her arm until she moved her eyes back to Gemma.

"Gem, please," Rebel muttered.

Gemma gave the impression steam could come out of her ears any moment, but in the end she turned around and walked back inside, leaving behind a cloud of hatred.

"Well, that was easy," Rebel smirked, dragging Freddie and Echo into the building. Freddie's heart seemed to sank deeper and deeper.

"Hey beauty!" Tig yelled, walking toward Rebel and giving her a squeezing hug. She caught Gemma's glance. She looked displeased, but Rebel didn't care much. She knew Gemma hated Tara as much as she did, so tormenting her a bit and giving Jax some special attention might cheer her up later tonight.

After a signal from Gemma they all sat down around the table. Tig grabbed her arm, making sure she sat next to him. He gave her a glare after he had seen her eyes wander off to Tara. "Be nice tonight."

She grumbled something inaudible and smiled as she noticed her friend had found a spot next to the prospect. She wiggled her eyebrows, where after Freddie looked the other way petulantly.

Gemma tapped with a little spoon against her glass, catching everyone's attention. "I want to thank you all for coming - apart from one exception. I hope you will enjoy this evening despite her presence. Enjoy the food and each other."

As soon as she sat in her chair again, everybody started to eat. Rebel glanced at Freddie, who was quietly talking to the prospect and didn't seem to bother too much about Gemma's words, making Rebel feel a bit more comfortable too.

"Cheers, sweetie," Tig said, flicking his bottle of beer against hers and taking a good swig.


	16. 014 - Freddie

**Hey all! Sorry it took so long to update, but my co-writer was reallly busy. Hope there are still readers, haha!**

 **. . .**

The prospect was cute. She was sitting next to him for barely fifteen minutes and he talked continuously about his time in the army. He was an easy talker, which gave her good hopes for her assignment again. She smiled sweetly at him, now and then asking questions, and his grin only went wider as he noticed that she enjoyed his stories.

She didn't have to feign interest. She had never spoken with someone who had been in the military, and certainly not someone who had lost a testikel because of a gunshot. Still her thoughts weren't solely focused on him. Although she considered it as a miracle that she was permitted to sit around this table, Gemma had just told everyone that she was anything but welcome. If she had dared it, she would have walked away. She had the feeling everyone wanted her to leave as soon as possible anyway.

Gemma wasn't the only one causing a knot in her stomach.

Across from her sat Opie. And he wasn't alone – his wife sat next to him, together with his two kids. He had a family, and watching them hurt her. If she had stayed with him, would she have been sitting next to him? Would her children have been sitting next to her? She was sure she wouldn't have struggled as much with the loneliness as she was doing now.

It was a sweet woman. Apart from Half Sack, she was the only one who had talked to her; she had asked who she was and where she was coming from. She had formulated her answers as general as possible: that Rebel was her best friend and that she had spent her childhood in Charming. That she had been in the same class as Opie and Jax, she kept to herself, especially since Opie didn't make any move to tell something about it.

She cut off a piece of meat and turned back to Half Sack. "How long are you prospecting?"

"For two months now." A proud grin crossed his face.

Two months... It would take at least ten more months before he would earn his top rocker, getting access to the club secrets. Hopefully someone else had gained the right information by then, for it sounded oppressive long. She glanced aside, to her sister. She had only winked at Juice, before she had sat down next to Freddie. She had noticed that Juice had looked relieved, as if he didn't feel the need to be seen together with Echo and he wanted to restrict their contact to the bed room. In his eyes she was still a croweater, a fuck buddy.

Echo didn't care. She talked elated to Chibs, touching his arm and shoulder more than she needed to. She was a natural croweater, as if she'd always been this way. It had to be their mother's genes.

"And? What's your most memorable moment up to now?" she asked the prospect.

On the other side of Half Sack, Juice started to laugh. "Oh, I remember that." He laid an arm around the prospect and looked at her. His eyes were shining as leaned over to her. "He was here – how long? Well, a day or something, and he had to saw a deer out of a windshield. Afterwards he put it down in the clubhouse, until it started to smell like hell. Clay found the head and guess what this idiot here was sayin'?" Laughing, he tapped Sack against the back of his head, who chuckled awkwardly. "That he wanted to hang it at the wall, as decoration. Just right away, without preppin' that shit." He wrapped his arm tighter around Sack's neck so the guy was in a headlock, then he let go of him again. He gave her a brief wink and Freddie felt her lips curl up.

"Hear who's talkin'," Jax said with smirk. "I remember a day you gave a Dobermann speed instead of a sleeping pill, so that it bit in Tig's ass."

"Yeah – or that you took sleeping pills _yourself_ instead of speed," Sack chuckled, who was getting bolder again.

"Sounds like you better stay away from the drugs," Freddie said with a smile – the first genuine one since she had arrived in Charming.

He held her glance as an ornery grin crossed his lips. "That depends on it... will you be the one takin' care of me?"

The way he kept looking at her, gave her a warm feeling, even though she knew there was every night another girl at who he was looking that way. She didn't read into it and answered: "I was once in med school, so I might actually be useful." She gave him a wink in return.

With a fork he shoved his meat in his mouth, with his right elbow he leaned at the table. "Why did you quit?"

Freddie hesitated. "That isn't exactly the most merry subject to talk about during dinner."

He nodded slowly. "Tara is our doc. Did you two meet?"

"We knew each other when we were young," she smiled. As she had entered the building, she had greeted the woman briefly. Contrary to Rebel, Tara and she could still go along well. Behind Rebel's back, they had even met now and then, but they had both agreed to keep their contact to a minimum tonight.

To her left, a knee bumped against hers. She looked aside; Echo leaned towards her ear. "You're flirting with the wrong guy, dear sis," she whispered. "Although... Little Kip is lookin' a bit jealous. Maybe it's a smart move after all." She moved her eyebrows up and down.

Freddie swallowed a sigh. It hadn't been a move – but the fact that he didn't know that one had to prepare a deer's head to put it on the wall, was really a turnoff.

 _But the fact that you don't feel attracted to him, is something you should be glad about,_ she told herself. _It would really become a drama if you would_ really _fall in love with him and had to betray him then._

This assignment was hard enough without having to break her own heart.


End file.
